Chapter 285: Record
Within Yumen City Gate, on the outskirts of the gathering place for the residents of God Realm Yumen, a rundown courtyard hosted a campfire that crackled softly.
Nanling Yaohua stared blankly at the flickering fire, lost in thought.
Her mind was chaotic.
More than an hour ago, she had been by “Lu Qingyi’s” side, but somehow, the person who had been there suddenly vanished without a trace…
The absence here did not mean d*ath, but a disappearance in multiple senses—physical body, spirit energy fluctuation, even the memories of why Lu Qingyi had been there… Everything had dissipated as if it had never existed or happened at all, vanishing in an instant.
She recalled a similar feeling when she left Dream City.
The experiences she once lived through felt like grains of sand in her hand—no matter how tightly she tried to hold on, they would slip through her fingers.
“Child? What are you thinking about?”
A familiar voice rang in her ears as a wide, rough hand rested on Nanling Yaohua’s shoulder, pulling her back from her daze.
Turning around, she saw the smiling face of Nanling Qifeng.
Earlier, she had met up with Bai Kai and the others near Dai Mu Institute.
The figure of “Lu Qingyi” had suddenly vanished from her sight, prompting her to rush out of Dai Mu Institute to search, where she then encountered Bai Kai and his group, surrounded by Yumen City Gate residents.
Of course, besides Bai Kai’s group, there was also Fang Ji, who had previously attacked “Lu Qingyi.”
It was said that he had been dug out by the residents of God Realm Yumen from beneath two stone lions near the ruins of Zawen Temple?
“Grandfather…” Nanling Yaohua softly called, shaking her head and shifting to nestle in Nanling Qifeng’s embrace. “It’s nothing, I’m just tired.”
Nanling Qifeng sensed something was weighing on his granddaughter’s mind, but he did not press, merely sighing silently, “Hmm, tired? Then let’s take a break. If we count the time, your Master Bai and the others should be back soon.”
“If all goes well, we might have to prepare to leave God Realm Yumen.”
After contacting the local residents, they were soon settled in this place by the locals.
Not long after settling down, they noticed the residents of God Realm Yumen were preparing for some kind of celebration, decorating with lanterns, slaughtering pigs and cattle, and bringing out old wine—more lively than a festival. This was rather unusual, prompting Bai Kai and the General to leave the small courtyard to gather intelligence.
Although the locals appeared warm and hospitable, it was clear to everyone that beneath their enthusiasm lay a sense of detachment and caution.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have arranged to gather everyone in such a small courtyard; the intent to monitor was obvious.
Along with Bai Kai and the General, Fang Ji and Void had also departed, acting separately.
Those two knew they weren’t well-liked here; the former had been seen by Nanling Yaohua when presiding over the Miracle Cult’s summoning of Yumen, while the latter’s identity as an urban legend was too sensitive, constantly under surveillance by the spiritual awareness of several Disaster-Class Spiritual Energy Manipulators, leaving him quite uneasy.
Had it not been for the Wordless Book covering for him, Void would have likely been apprehended by the Siye Society for questioning.
Although that was merely a projection…
Among the three with questionable identities or urban legends, only Gu Qiqi seemed completely unfazed, happily staying in the courtyard, eating and sleeping as she pleased, even arm-wrestling with Huaiyuan Jun, who was also a power-type Spiritual Ability User.
Her whole demeanor was one of ease!
It was hard to imagine such a character could be a bloodthirsty killer, fond of urban legends, acting without regard for rules.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps approached from afar, followed by two figures slipping into the small courtyard, one in front of the other.
“I finally figured out what those locals are celebrating!”
Bai Kai, moving faster than the General, rushed into the courtyard and walked toward the campfire while announcing to everyone, “They are celebrating the return of some Miracle Saint…”
Before he could finish, the General caught up and interjected, “Just now, someone was gloating to me, saying it was because he declared his identity as a member of the Yumen Sands Sea Branch, and the locals thought of the connection between our two families, planning a banquet to entertain us!”
After speaking, the General nodded apologetically toward Nanling Qifeng, who was leaning against the wall with a pipe, “Sorry, Old Master Nanling, I didn’t mean any offense, but if you were to see that person’s smug face, you’d want to say a few words too.”
Nanling Qifeng waved his hand dismissively at the General, then turned to sh**t a fierce glare at Bai Kai.
Nanling Qifeng knew very well the character of his disciple; he was the kind who would give a flirtatious glance and end up in bed in the middle of the night.
Bai Kai, having been glared at, shrank back and turned to the General to defend himself. “Well, it wasn’t me saying it! They were the ones who mentioned the connection between our families!”
“How was I supposed to know? Just after one First Generation Miracle Saint left, two Original Saints popped up out of nowhere, along with a bunch of locals I’ve never heard of. If you were in my shoes, you’d be baffled too!”
Pausing, he looked at everyone and grinned, shifting the topic, “Everyone, the situation now is that God Realm Yumen has inexplicably sealed itself off, and we can’t even climb over the walls to get out… Since we’re here idly, why not check out who these so-called Original Saints are?”
“I agree.” Nanling Qifeng glanced at Bai Kai, “The appearance of these residents in God Realm Yumen is a mystery, and the appearance of those two Original Saints is even more so. My intuition tells me that understanding why they have appeared could lead us to a way to leave.”
“I agree as well.” The General nodded, smiling. “We are guests here; given that something joyous is happening locally, we should go offer our congratulations.”
His smile carried an unsettling undertone, coupled with the sharp aura emanating from him, creating a devious impression that suggested they were more there to crash the party than to celebrate.
With just a disagreement, they could end up slaughtering and capturing the Saints.
Not far away, Gu Qiqi listened to the conversation among the group and, contemplatively, asked the system, “System, it seems they are talking about a celebration and banquet…”
“Which means there will be a lot of good food, right?”
“While that might indeed be the case, my advice is to wait and see; this situation feels strange, and there may be danger. It’s best if we don’t get too involved.”
Gu Qiqi only heard the first part of the response, and her eyes brightened. “Then I want to go too!”
System, “… So you didn’t hear the latter part of my statement at all?”
————
“Hello everyone, hello!” On a magnificent flower carriage, Lu XiBei waved to the surrounding cheering residents of God Realm Yumen, calling out loudly.
“Please, please! Don’t be like this, we are not heroes; everyone here is the hero!”
“Sorry! We came back late!”
“…”
Once she had greeted the residents of God Realm Yumen with a friendly demeanor, she hopped onto the carriage and noticed Shen Baiwei looking at her with a resentful gaze.
“You can’t possibly think you are some kind of Saint, right?”
She originally wanted to warn Calamity that these people were odd. The only time Long Bang seemed normal was when he interacted with them; during other times, he appeared a bit deranged and mentally unstable, so it was best to keep some distance and maintain a minimal level of caution.
Moreover, in her opinion, this aligned perfectly with Calamity’s consistent cautious demeanor.
However, after hearing her words, Lu XiBei unexpectedly replied, “Does it really matter if it’s true or not?”
“Have you considered that the legend of the so-called Original Miracle Saints very likely serves as the spiritual support that has sustained them for over a thousand years? If at this moment we say we are not the people they are waiting for, can they bear it?”
“What if they mentally collapse and do something terrible? I can’t say for others, but I’m definitely not a match for Brother Long Bang… So, following the script they’ve given us is the safest way.”
“…” Shen Baiwei was momentarily speechless, glancing through the gap in the curtain of the flower carriage at Long Bang’s silhouette leading the horse, suddenly feeling a jolt in her eyelids.
Though she didn’t dare examine closely, a rough scan with her spiritual awareness revealed various spirit patterns producing spirit energy fluctuations emanating from Long Bang, and these different spirit energy fluctuations mixed together, forming an exceptionally powerful energy wave.
It felt strange, like characters in her childhood special effects shows; each protagonist could stand on their own, but when combined through a special method, they could form a brand-new, powerful individual.
It was odd! It didn’t conform to the known laws of spirit patterns.
Could it be that this guy had discovered a way to advance to Disaster during the thousand years of isolation in God Realm Yumen?
Shen Baiwei shook her head at that thought.
In her impression, Long Bang was just an overly passionate youth who seemed a bit foolish—hardly someone one could associate with a figure who had explored and pioneered a path to advance to Disaster.
The sensation was akin to recalling a neighbor’s chubby child with a runny nose, who had turned into a strikingly handsome and successful individual after not being seen for several years.
Just as Shen Baiwei was lost in her thoughts, Lu XiBei suddenly held out a beautifully crafted wooden box towards her, breaking her reverie.
She looked at Lu XiBei, tilting her head, “What is this?”
“You’re asking me?” Lu XiBei pointed to her own nose, expressionless as she said, “Brother Long Bang gave this to me earlier, saying you left it behind.”
“Well, you Shen Baiwei! I didn’t expect you, with your bushy eyebrows and big eyes, to be involved in such shady dealings! Previously you criticized me for leaving behind a pure succubus book, spreading faith…”
Shen Baiwei’s mouth twitched; feeling caught red-handed with a dirty little secret, she averted her gaze from Lu XiBei’s probing eyes and cautiously opened the top of the box.
Inside, a small booklet bound in leather without a name caught her eye.
Upon flipping to the first page, she hadn’t even begun to read the content when she saw the brittle yellowed pages of the notebook yet froze in place.
As her fingertips gently brushed over the pages made from the very spirit patterns she had condensed, they trembled slightly as if responding, and in a breath, transformed into a stream of light merging into her body.
The next moment, the spirit patterns vibrated violently, surging spirit energy erupted, spreading throughout her limbs and bones, warm as jade yet heavy as history, and along with the rise of spirit energy, a torrent of information flowed forth.
In a daze, she seemed to see several figures bending over a desk, grinding ink and picking up quills, writing words on the pages of the notebooks…
————
[Today in the courtyard, Mama Zhang and Mama Li had a big fight over a single chicken egg. Mama Li said her body was unwell, using the egg to make syrup for nourishment, but Mama Zhang insisted it was an egg that could hatch chicks and demanded compensation. Somehow, after all the counting, they ended up finding an entire nest of chicks.
Miss Shen, with her vast knowledge, what do you think? Which of them is more justified?]
……
[Nothing much today, just drills in the training grounds. The comrades of Longxiang Army were not highly motivated; I felt quite worried.]
……
[Today I purchased five lambs, two males and three females. By next year, we should be able to get more than ten lambs!]
……
Initially, the notes recorded on the pages of these notebooks were trivial matters.
There were household tidbits recorded by maidservants from Dai Mu Institute, daily routines noted by Chen Long from the Longxiang Army, and entries from Chef He, who often interacted with Shen Baiwei… Were those “livestock logs”?
As time passed, the trivialities became fewer. What started as daily records dwindled to entries every few days, then to monthly, or even yearly entries.
It felt like a spark of inspiration morphed into a diary, but soon lost its momentum and became neglected.
Years later, the life of the first recorder came to an end, leaving behind the last words.
[From five lambs, I eventually raised over thirty, so it wasn’t a waste.] Chef He, already of advanced age, left behind these as his final words.
Though he discussed his sheep at the end, through the subtle connection between herself and the pages of the notebook, Shen Baiwei felt the extreme conditions under which he had raised livestock while being sealed in God Realm Yumen, along with the last traces of reluctance to bid farewell to this world.
In a daze, she saw a stout figure among the shadowy outlines writing at a desk, who stood up, turned, and walked into the darkness.
Following that, one by one, shadows stood and similarly walked towards the dark.
The shadows walking into the darkness grew ever more numerous, without a word of farewell, their recordings stopping abruptly.
Soon only two shadows remained: the maidservant from Dai Mu Institute and the Longxiang Army armor soldier Chen Long, and their records began to change as well.
[Today in the camp, we were informed that there were demons causing chaos in the city, so I went to check with several comrades, and the scene was just like when the disturbance occurred at Dai Mu Institute that day, chilling our spines.
Did the Shaman Queen return?]
……
[There was a woman in the city who gave birth today, and the child was a boy with four arms and covered in red scales, truly terrifying.
Miss said that it might have been affected by the pollution in the city, and told us to bring all the pregnant women in the city to Dai Mu Institute to give birth.]
As these pieces of information surfaced in her mind, a shiver ran through Shen Baiwei’s heart, as an ominous premonition quietly rose within her.
The Shaman Queen’s corruption had flared up again, just thirty-six years after she and Lu XiBei had left.
But…
If the Shaman Queen’s corruption had flared up again, how had they managed to survive?
And continued for a millennium? Shen Baiwei found herself perplexed.
The next moment, as more and more records surged within her mind, a vivid picture unfolded before her eyes—the struggle for survival of the residents of God Realm Yumen in extreme conditions…
